Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

The system of Iranian medicine in the Qajar era was the continuation of the system based on the humors view. Accordingly, the incidence of most diseases was attributed to whole view of the quadruple imbalance of blood, soda, bile, phlegm. Preventive and therapeutic approaches were also carried out in the same cognitive atmosphere. The example of Smallpox disease, indicates such a view in the Qajar era. According to the findings of this research, in Qajar medical literature, the bumps of pus in the skin of is described to be hard, single or non-separated with different colors and was called as Jodri or Smallpox. In terms of cognitive aspects, physicians of Qajar era following former physicians classified Smallpox disease in terms of humor among the hot and wet diseases and described boiling of blood in the body as the cause of this disease. Exposure to this disease was through the two pathways preventive and therapeutic measures. In order to prevent the disease, the necessary orders was recommended by the physicians by “sette zarurieh” and especially avoidance of several behaviuors. In terms of therapy, along with several types of diets, different kinds of medicines was used to relieve the symptoms and complications of the disease at different body parts. This study is a review, it has been attempted to examine the nature and purpose of the descriptive and analytical method and the therapeutic approach to treating Smallpox disease in medical system of Iranian Qajar era. Required information and data have been created in a desk research.

The issue of disease in the context of history has always been one of the concerns of the wise man. In accordance with the intellectual system of each period of history, various diseases have been identified and prevention and treatment strategies have been presented. The identification of some diseases, including the flu, goes back to a new era. The use of the word "flu" first occurred in the Qajar era. Because it is new and unknown, the group of physicians, as the person in charge of health matters, needed to know about this disease and define and explain it. The purpose of this study as a historical-review study, in the first step is to study the history of the prevalence of this disease in Iran and the process of recognizing it through the available information sources in the Qajar era society. The medical approach of the press (publications) and the identification and introduction of " RESALE DAR MARAZ_E ANFLUENZA: GRIP" as the first treatise written about this disease, has been done at this stage. The second step of the present study is to investigate how the Spanish flu entered Iran and assesses its consequences in the affected areas.